Over the weekend, the carrier price of Japanese iPhone XR went from 36,000 yen (~$337) to 21,000 yen (~$211). Needless to say, these prices are subsidized tags with a contract, so essentially, Apple’s phone price has been indirectly reduced by increasing subsidies by NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest carrier.
Japan is currently Apple’s stronghold in the region, with a market share that is much larger than the US, we can understand why the company is so concerned with the iPhone XR tepid sales there. The move comes especially after a sudden growth in the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus sales. Apparently, the Japanese customers aren’t convinced by Facial ID features and aren’t satisfied with the notch. Customers are opting for the older iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, rather than any of the XS models or the iPhone XR.
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This trend is not only being seen in Japan, after all, the same customer’s movement is happening in other markets. Analysts already lowered their estimates for the iPhone XR sales after a lower than expected demand. Worth noting, that before the XR release, many analysts have pointed that it would become the Apple’s best selling smartphone.
We are curious to see how the things will perform until the end of the year. Rports about a total overhaul in iPhone’s design already started to pop-out. Let’s see how Apple will respond to the low demand of its recent devices.
